Story highlights

The 16-time grand slam champion will take Nadal's No. 2 ranking on Monday

Clay court season shifts to Rome ahead of the French Open

Roger Federer came from behind to beat Tomas Berdych to win his third Madrid title and equal Rafael Nadal's record of 20 Masters titles.

Federer won 3-6 7-5 7-5 to continue a rich vein of form that has seen him lose just three times in 48 matches over the last eight months and ensure the Swiss will take Nadal's No. 2 ranking on Monday.

The 16-time grand slam champion's ranking rise is significant because Federer could avoid playing No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Nadal until the final of the French Open -- the second major tournament of the tennis season, which starts on May 28.

"It's been a great spell and I couldn't be more happy right now coming off a break winning right away," Federer following his first ATP Tour tournament after a third-round exit in Miami in March.

The Swiss star struggled in his opening match before beating big-serving Milos Raonic in three sets, and grew in confidence on the controversial blue clay while Nadal and Djokovic fell by the wayside.

Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Kiss of death – Fernando Verdasco kisses the blue clay in Madrid after beating world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in a huge upset. "I never was in control of the match, I didn't know how to win a point," said Nadal, who is the modern era's "King of Clay."

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Fanning flames of discontent – Nadal's shock exit only added fire to complaints the blue clay is too slippery. Even before his defeat, the Spaniard tweeted: "The history of clay court was on red. It wasn't on blue. Only one person wins -- the owner of the tournament."

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

A slippery slope – Novak Djokovic, who beat Nadal in last year's final on red clay, has been an outspoken critic of the surface, saying: "I played my first official match on blue clay and I have to admit I was not very happy. Next time I have to bring skates instead of shoes, it was sooo slippery."

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Why so blue? – Not all the feedback has been negative. "I think it's the same, it's just you don't get as dirty," Serena Williams tweeted.

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Billionaire's big ambitions – Behind the blue revolution is Romanian billionaire, Ion Tiriac. The former French Open doubles winner and manager to Boris Becker pioneered the first blue hard courts at his indoor event in Stuttgart -- a lead followed by the Australian and U.S. Opens.

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Fan feedback – Nadal throws his towel -- emblazoned with the logo of sponsor Mutua Madrilena -- into the crowd. Tiriac says improving the experience for television viewers watching his $10.6 million tournament was a major factor in the switch to blue.

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

More than skin deep – Performance specialist Alistair McCaw says the slippery surface isn't due to the color but the implementation. "The amount of clay covering the surface is lesser than normal. If you dig your foot into the surface and remove some of the clay, you will notice that the underlying surface is a hard rubber-like mat," he said.

Blue yonder – The blue clay court is made the same way as the red, with bricks ground into tiny fragments and spread over the ground in two different layers. However, in Madrid these bricks are stripped of their iron oxide (the chemical that provides the original color) and then treated with dye.

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Photos:Madrid's clay controversy: Why so blue?

Seeing red – The tournament is seen as an important buildup to the real clay court crown -- the French Open. Players have argued it's difficult enough adjusting to the conditions in Madrid, without then having to change their game at Roland Garros at the end of the month.

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"I was worried about getting through the first round and was not even thinking about who was going to be my second round opponent," Federer said after claiming his fourth title this year and 74th overall.

"I was very realistic coming into this event. Confidence is coming back. I was away and it didn't take much for me to get my confidence back, especially now that I've been playing so well for the past nine months."

Berdych got off to the best possible start in Sunday's final, breaking Federer straight away for a 2-0 lead.

The Czech had a chance to secure the first set when Federer was serving, before Berdych closed it out on his own serve in the ninth game.

However Berdych's service let him down at a key point in the second set's 12th game when he double-faulted, allowing Federer to pull level.

Berdych squandered two break points at the start of the third set, and Federer sealed victory on his fourth match point after two hours and 38 minutes.

Federer has now lost just four times to Berdych in 15 meetings, though the Czech player had won three of their past five matches, including a win in the 2010 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

The tennis circuit shifts to Rome next week and a return to the reddish clay for the rest of the clay court season.

That is likely to be a welcome relief for Nadal and Djokovic, who had been vocal in their criticism of Madrid's blue clay surface, particularly after their shock exits at the hands of Fernando Verdasco and Janko Tipsarevic respectively.